Posted: 22 Mar 2010 09:52 AM PDT

A state representative is promoting a new path for expanded gambling, which could impact Kentucky Downs horse racing track in Franklin.

Rep. Steve Riggs, D-Louisville, suggests residents in the seven counties with racetracks decide whether to allow electronic gambling. Expanded gambling, which is at the center of Gov. Steve Beshear's administration and has been criticized and debated, ordinarily would be put to a statewide vote.

While there is no written proposal, Riggs is pitching the idea that residents in counties with racetracks have the final vote on whether to bring expanded gambling into their communities - much like wet-dry votes on alcohol sales.

And, according to Riggs, many legislative leaders agree with him.

"I think the idea of a statewide vote is near dead, because I've convinced people there shouldn't be a statewide vote," he said. "If there needs to be a vote, make it county by county."

That's one way to let people decide, but expanded gambling is a constitutional issue and should first require a state referendum before being put to a county-by-county vote, Rep. Jim DeCesare, R-Bowling Green, said.

"It's a good idea, but I believe for us to expand gambling, it's a constitutional issue," he said.

Riggs wants gambling to be put to a county vote because he believes it's unfair to let all Kentucky residents vote on an issue that affects people in those seven counties, he said.

"Why should people in Todd County or McLean County be able to tell people in Fayette County whether they have expanded gaming?" he said. "Why should people in Pike County be able to determine (the outcome for) the folks in Simpson County? That's the neighborhood that's affected."

If the vote goes to county residents, Simpson County residents would be impacted. Kentucky Downs would greatly benefit from expanded gaming, said Ray Reid, a partner with Kentucky Downs.

Expanded gambling would bring in more customers who currently travel to neighboring states that offer slot machines and other casino gaming. A boost in revenue would allow the track to offer bigger purses for races and attract more horses, he said.

If the impact that expanded gambling legislation has on Kentucky Downs was measured on a scale of one to 10, "it's a 10," Reid said. "It's the difference between having something that's economically viable and economically not ... it makes all the difference in the world."

Kentucky Downs makes about $20 million to $25 million in annual revenue - about 90 percent of that is generated by off-track betting, Reid said.

Reid said he thinks there's a chance that Simpson County residents would vote for expanded gambling, but the legislation has a better chance if Franklin city residents cast their vote.

"I think certainly the town has a better understanding of the impact we have on them than people out in the county," he said.

Riggs said he believes casino gambling would have a better shot with a local-option vote.

"Look at other places, like in Indiana. Those local citizens and those local governments have prospered greatly," he said, "and I think it would stand a much better chance because local people would benefit from it."

For now, Reid is holding his breath, waiting for a vote that could determine the future of his racetrack. When Reid took over the track in 2007, it offered about $1.3 million in purses. Now its purses are worth about $650,000.

"We're all businessmen, and we came in here with a long-term plan," he said. "But, when you're losing several million dollars every year, eventually you go, 'I've had enough fun.' "

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3,000 from Charlotte attend immigration reform rally - WBTV

Posted: 22 Mar 2010 02:38 PM PDT

By Sarah Batista - bio l email

WASHINGTON, DC (WBTV/AP) - Thousands of people boarded charter buses outside of Eastland Mall in Charlotte Saturday evening to rally for immigration reform.

They joined 500,000 people in the nation's capital Sunday afternoon hoping to attract the attention of lawmakers.

The activists called on President Barack Obama to act on his campaign promise and move forward on a bill to reform U.S. immigration laws.

Groups traveled by bus from as far as California and Ohio.

I traveled with a group from Charlotte to document the trip.

Lucy Perez, 18, traveled to Washington, D.C. with her parents and sister. She is a U.S. citizen, but said she was marching for the people she loved who did not have legal status.

"I really want this immigration reform to go through so my friends can apply, go to college and better themselves, as well as for my parents because they haven't been able to get legal status here and they've been here for 20 years," said Perez.

Her story is one of millions in the U.S. This year, she'll be the first in her Mexican family to graduate high school. She plans to attend college as a pre-med major.

"[My parents] are really proud, they say it all the time," said Perez.

Many people in the crowd shouted "yes, we can" and held signs that had slogans such as, "President Obama, keep your campaign promise".

In a videotaped message presented on giant screens to the thousands who marched on the National Mall, President Obama warned of the cost of inaction. He said problems with today's immigration system include families being torn apart, employers gaming the system and police officers struggling to keep communities safe.

Obama said he would do everything in his power to forge a bipartisan consensus on immigration reform this year.

Activists have been frustrated about the pace of that reform. Obama's taped comments were released just as he worked to get last-minute votes on a health care overhaul.

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Grocery store clerk is a 6/49 multimillionaire - SooToday.com

Posted: 22 Mar 2010 01:55 PM PDT

By SooToday.com Staff
SooToday.com
Monday, March 22, 2010

NEWS RELEASE

ONTARIO LOTTERY
AND GAMING CORPORATION

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London couple wins $21 million with golden Lotto 6/49 ticket

TORONTO, March 22 - When London resident Bonnie Preece, 49, pulled out $4 from her pocket to buy two Lotto 6/49 tickets, she wished that she had an extra $1 for Encore.

Lucky for her, one of those $2 tickets that she bought for herself and her partner William (Bill) Rollings was a match for all six winning numbers from the March 20, 2010 draw and they are now $20.6 million dollars richer.

"I was supposed to go into work Sunday morning and I was in my uniform already when I checked the numbers on the TV and realized that I had won," said Preece, who works as a clerk at a grocery store in London. "When we went into the store to check, everyone was hugging us and shouting congratulations, but it didn't really sink in until friends started calling and saying they saw me on the news."

Her partner Bill Rollings, 57, who shares the winning ticket with Preece, has a new lease on life.

A heart attack seven months ago sidelined him from work, but he says this win is exhilarating.

"It's like two extremes," he explained. "I almost died, but now I have a world of opportunities ahead of me."

Travelling is first on the couple's agenda.

"We've been abroad in the past, but we're definitely going to relax and travel more," said Rollings.

Preece is already planning a visit to the passport office, so that she can start organizing a dream trip to Scotland and England, where she says she has family and friends, including a pen pal she has had since 1978.

Preece has lived all her life in London, while Rollings was born in Montreal and moved to London in his youth.

OLG is a provincial agency responsible for province-wide lottery games and gaming facilities.

Since 1975, OLG lotteries, casinos, slots, and resort casinos have generated more than $28 billion for the benefit of the Province of Ontario.

Gaming proceeds support Ontario's hospitals, amateur sport, recreational and cultural activities, communities, provincial priority programs such as health care and education, and local and provincial charities and non-profit organizations through the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

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Gaming Communities

Monday, March 22, 2010

“Riggs says statewide vote on expanded gaming is not ... - Bowling Green Daily News” plus 2 more

“Riggs says statewide vote on expanded gaming is not ... - Bowling Green Daily News” plus 2 more

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